Sam Raimi

Though he got his start making two over-the-top cult horror film favorites-"The Evil Dead" (filmed in 1979, but released in 1983) and "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn" (1987)-director Sam Raimi subsequently...
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How awesome must you be if you’re known as T-Bone? I’d imagine it's fairly awesome considering I’ve never met anyone named T-Bone, but that definitely sounds like the kind of person I’d want to hang out with.
Anyway, T-Bone Burnett and Danny Elfman have agreed to collaborate on the score and soundtrack on the Hunger Games movie. Elfman’s involvement was rumored last week but the official announcement was released today along with the news of Burnett’s participation. Awesome sauce? An extra helping of it. Between the two of them, they’ve got award nominations out the a-hole and more street cred than you can count. Burnett won an Oscar for his song “The Weary Kind” in Crazy Heart where his collaborated gushed to his wife “I love you more than rainbows,” and Elfman voiced the singing Jack in The Nightmare Before Christmas (oh, and he scored that film and about a MILLION other movies too). And now these two are teaming up for a movie about a brunette Jennifer Lawrence fighting for her life. Awwww yeah.
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Nerd fight! Isn’t it adorable when nerds get in a fight over something stupid like “Who shot first, Han or Greedo?” instead stuff that actually matter like sports.
Anyway, apparently Danny Elfman, the famed composer, used to be besties with Sam Raimi, he of Spider-Man directing fame, then they became enemies but now they're working together again... so they're frenimies? I’m not even sure what those are, as I don’t think the texting lingo has a word for that yet. I just know that Elfman will be working on Raimi’s latest Oz, the Great and Powerful. The film stars James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Zach Braff and its pretty much the kind of movie you would expect to hear Elfman score.
Also, the veteran composer is in talks to score the Hunger Games movie, though nothing is official at the time. According to some music nerd friends of mine, Elfman isn’t quite deserving of the public appeal he’s garnered and is in fact a wee bit overrated. Myself, I enjoy his music and look forward to Oz and Hunger Games if he scores them. I’m not nearly snobby enough to criticize anyone who writes music considering my musical talents extend to just short of playing the triangle.
Source: IndieWire

This Friday, we'll all be boarding the emerald skies when we check out Warner Bros. Green Lantern on the big screen, but a lot more than box office is riding on the power-ring-wielding superhero's shoulders. Here are several things we hope for and expect of the Emerald Knight, and a few reasons why he must not only rule the weekend (which it most likely will) but also claim the title of “Film of the Summer.”
Green Lantern Must Be a Great Movie
Besides making it’s money back and having fans proclaim it’s success, Green Lantern has to be a great movie. It has to be an accessible movie for any novice. One of many reasons that Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies and Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man movies were so successful is that they stayed true not only to the heart of their iconic characters, but also appealed to the masses as well. And with this year’s “Sexiest Man Alive” cast as the Emerald Knight, Green Lantern should have no problem bringing in audiences of all ages and genders.
Green Lantern Must Be a Great Comic Book Movie
In addition to appealing to the masses, Green Lantern (especially Hal Jordan's Lantern) is one of the most beloved comic book franchises in the history of the medium. Even when DC tried to make him one of the worst villains in comic book history, it was the fans that yearned and fought for the ring to find him again. While the masses will be going to the theaters in droves, it'll be we comic book geeks who keep coming back for seconds and thirds.
Green Lantern Needs to Contend with Thor, Captain America and X–Men: First Class
On the road to Marvel Comics’ Avengers movie and revitalizing the X–Men film franchise, we’ve already gotten not one, but TWO Marvel movies this summer, and Captain America is on his way. Green Lantern is the lone DC character coming to theaters this year and the world en masse needs to know that DC’s characters are just as good as Marvel’s.
The Comic Book Industry Could Use a Boost in Readership
Comic books have been long thought of as picture books for young boys and overgrown man–children. The dawn of superhero cinema should have changed all that. But sadly, no, it hasn’t - and readership has consistently dropped. A character like Green Lantern, who has been revitalized over the past few years in the comics, should hopefully be able to drive a few moviegoers into a comic store to pick up some great GL stories. Might I suggest “Emerald Twilight,” “The Sinestro War,” and “Blackest Night” to get interested film fans started.
Doesn’t it Seem Like Mr. Reynolds Wants to be an Action Hero?
Ryan Reynolds is a fanboy like a lot of us out there. He’s cast as the “Merc’ with a Mouth,” Deadpool, presumably as soon as a script is ready. He’s dabbled in action movies before (Blade: Trinity, X–Men Origins: Wolverine), and while he makes good money doing romantic comedies, fanboys want to cheer for him. Reynolds has got to know this and at least in some part wants to make more and more of these grand, sweeping action epics.
Movies Like This NEED to be Seen on the Big Screen
Several sites have hyped Green Lantern as the next Star Wars or the superhero version of it, and we all know for better or worse George Lucas’ magnum opus needs to be seen on the big screen to truly enjoy (or despise) all of the amazing effects, action and story. For someone like me, who has read a GL tale or two in his day, I’m inclined to agree with the sentiment. Green Lantern, when done right, is at its heart an enormous character driven sci–fi tale, and not seeing it theaters wouldn’t be doing it justice.
We All Need A Little Hope in Our Lives
The story of Hal Jordan is often a tragic one, but it’s also a tale of hope and willpower. It’s the story of an earthling who shows amazing amounts of bravery in the face of intergalactic evil. I’m sure that plenty of us would like to even remotely embody what Hal Jordan has over the years; you know, minus those few years where he went crazy. But even so, we’ve all had our bad days, haven’t we?
The Road to the Justice League Starts Here
While I’m not entirely on board with Warner Bros. and DC making a Justice League movie, the companies wants to do so and this will be the first glimpse into its larger mythos with a character who isn’t a bat or a Kryptonian. If Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. failed to impress, we wouldn't be gearing up for The Avengers. Likewise, if Green Lantern and Ryan Reynolds falter, fans won’t get to see the ultra–cool JLA base on the moon.
The Green Lantern Franchise is Never Ending
For those of you who don’t know, Hal Jordan wasn’t even DC’s first Green Lantern. Alan Scott was. Those two, John Stewart (the GL of the JLA cartoons), the brash Guy Gardner, Tomar Re and the beloved Kilowog are several of the more popular Lanterns, each with their own stories. Each could have at the very least, an animated movie made based on them (although I think it’d be damn cool to see Matthew St. Patrick or Roger Cross as John Stewart). Have I mentioned Kyle Rayner? The Green Lantern universe IS as diverse as any science fiction/fantasy universe out there and Warner Bros. would be wise to mine it for as long as it can.
More DC Comic Book Movies Please
If this movie flops, we’ll be stuck with only Batman and Superman movies to look forward to. DC has so many popular characters – The Flash, Wonder Woman, Hawkman and Green Arrow, just to name a few. For some odd reason the company has had a hugely difficult time bringing any of these characters to the screen (the recent Wonder Woman barely scratches the surface). There is simply no excuse that over half of Marvel’s most popular characters have had at least one film while DC characters have been made to languish in direct–to–video movies only. Not that any of them are bad; go see New Frontier for a great example.

Laura Ziskin, producer of more than twenty films over the course of thirty years, passed away after a battle with breast cancer on Sunday, June 12. In addition to her work in cinema, Ziskin was a co-founder of the well-known organization Stand Up to Cancer, and a frequent campaigner against the disease.
Some of her better known productions include the classic romantic comedy Pretty Woman, the James L. Brooks slice-of-life As Good as it Gets, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, as well as the first installment of Marc Webb’s reboot of the series. Furthermore, Ziskin was responsible for the production of the 2002 and 2007 Academy Awards ceremonies.
The producer’s trial with breast cancer began in 2004, subsiding after several treatments. In 2009, the cancer returned, spreading to her liver and bones. Ziskin’s involvement in charity did not stop at Stand Up to Cancer: she was also heavily involved in Education First and the National Council for Jewish Women. Friends and colleagues attribute Ziskin with credit for paving the way for female producers in Hollywood.
Ziskin was 61 at her time of death. Her husband, screenwriter Alvin Sargent, who worked with his wife on Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, and her daughter Julia from a previous marriage, request that people continue to support Ziskin’s cause of Stand Up to Cancer.
Source: Variety

While there are a million fairy tale movies currently being made in Hollywood, I think Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great and Powerful has pulled ahead for the lead in my book. The latest addition to the already impressive cast is Zach Braff. Now, to recap, James Franco is playing a circus magician mistaken for a wizard when he arrives in Oz. Braff is his under-appreciated assistant and the towns-people ask them to take care of the witches who will be played by Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams.
Now look, you can’t argue with the casting of Franco and the lady witches. That’s more talent collected than most G20 meetings. And the addition of Braff? I know Braff is polarizing (that's the nice way of putting it) but the dude can handle the funny and the serious better than most. Scrubs shifted more gears than a beat up pick-up truck and Braff was one of the reasons it did it so well. Besides, he’s already visited Oz once before.
Source: Deadline

The current release schedule for a handful of films has been altered dramatically, so before you run to your local theater to see Star Trek 2 next summer and find it nowhere in sight you'd better read on.
Deadline reports that Star Trek 2 is behind schedule as its director J.J. Abrams has been busy finishing Super 8 while its three writers have been tied up with various other projects. That, and the fact that Abrams hasn't yet officially committed to directing the highly-anticipated sequel, is making Paramount Pictures nervous about meeting the June 29th, 2012 release date it set for the follow-up some time ago, and now the studio is considering pushing it back six months for a prime holiday bow. Fans may note that the first pic was originally slotted for Christmas 2008 before getting pushed back to May 2009, so it wouldn't surprise me if the sequel ended up a holiday tent pole. I hope that Paramount gives its star player all the time he needs to make the sequel as awesome as the original.
Meanwhile, over at Relativity a war has been brewing with Universal Pictures over their rival Snow White films. Universal's was originally a holiday 2012 release while Relativity's was set to hit that summer, but Universal moved their version up a full month before Relativity's. That must have upset Mr. Ryan Kavanaugh (CEO of Relativity), who has a lot invested in the Tarsem Singh-directed tent pole. His response? Move his film up to an even earlier release date, March 16, 2012. Now Universal's June 1st bow of Snow White and the Huntsman will battle Relativity's summer suspense romance Safe Haven while Relativity's Snow White hits theaters two and a half months earlier. Ouch.
Finally, Disney has just set Oz, The Great And Powerful for a March 8th, 2013 release. It's going up against District 9 helmer Neill Blomkamp's Elysium, an ambitious and equally expensive sci-fi action flick. It's a good date, as it will give director Sam Raimi plenty of time to film and edit the family fantasy film. James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams will star.
Source: Deadline, Relativity Media

UPDATE: Not even a day after this original story broke, Summit Entertainment has hired Let Me In director Matt Reeves to helm its adaptation of This Dark Endeavor. Deadline reports that Jacob Aaron Estes will pen the screenplay for the picture.
EARLIER: Apparently everyone capable of making movies is sick of zombies and vampires and all the rest of that stupid crap, so that fad is being tossed aside in favor of something original: Frankenstein, but there's one problem. Everyone capable of making movies is also making their own Frankenstein. According to Deadline, there are now six different studios producing some type of Frankenstein film. The reason? Well, Frankenstein is a classic novel that's considered "public domain," so anybody can pretty much create their own monster (sorry), but in the end probably only one or two of these films will actually be made.
Anyway, the most recent film is an adaptation of Peter Ackroyd's novel The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein, which will be adapted by the talented Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn (Proof). Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's Ghost House Pictures will produce alongside RT Features. The story will focus on the "youthful days of Frankenstein," you know, the days when a young, darling Frankenstein ran through open fields of wildflowers, lilies and innocence, or something.
Universal is currently teaming with Guillermo del Toro and Scott Stuber for an update on the 1931 film; Summit Entertainment -- with Twilight Saga producer Karen Rosenfelt -- is developing an adaptation of Kenneth Oppel's novel This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstin; Columbia Pictures and producer Matt Tomach just acquired a script that retells the Frankenstein story pitched by Craig Fernandez; also, Fox 2000 is remaking The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Glee's Ryan Murphy; and finally, Guns N Roses guitar player Slash has teamed his Slasher Films with Scout Productions to do Wake the Dead, a Frankenstein tale based on the graphic novel by Steve Niles with Jay Russell attached to star -- because at this point, why the hell wouldn't Slash be making a Frankenstein film?
Source: Deadline

Variety reports the Brokeback Mountain star has beaten Hilary Swank to the role, played by Billie Burke in the beloved 1939 movie.
Sam Raimi will now direct Williams in Oz: Great and Powerful, which will also feature James Franco, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis.

After a strenuous casting period that saw a handful of Hollywood's elite come and go, it looks like Sam Raimi's Oz, The Great and Powerful is finally ready to take off in that hot air balloon. Variety reports that the final key role in the picture, that of Glinda the Good, has been set: Michelle Williams will take the part. She joins Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis as the third witch at the center of the narrative, which tells of how a snake-oil salesman became the ruler of Oz.
James Franco is re-teaming with his Spider-Man director on the David Lindsay Abaire-penned picture (which also had a pass by Mitchell Kapner). It's been in the works for such a long time I've nearly forgotten about it as numerous high-profile fantasy pics have stolen its thunder, but with a dream team of talent on board (including Alice in Wonderland producer Joe Roth), Oz is sure to stake its claim over the late 2012 box office, especially now that Snow White is no longer a competitor (both of the films based on that beloved character will now bow in the summer of next year).
I must say I'm surprised Williams took such a glitzy role; she has avoided major studio projects throughout most of her career, with the one recent exception being Shutter Island (no one turns down Scorsese, NO ONE). She must see something worthwhile in Oz' script, which is a good sign for us fans.
Source: Variety

The first time I saw The Constant Gardener, my main thoughts on the film were about how great Rachel Weisz looked in her nude scenes. True story. I'm glad that she won an Academy Award for her performance as a driven political do-gooder because it was layered, charming and a great display of her skills, but when I think back on the movie in hindsight my most vivid memory is about wanting to drink her bath water. Sadly, I don't think that Disney's Oz, The Great and Powerful, the film which she is currently in contention to join, will require her to disrobe like the fore mentioned drama, but I'm enthusiastic about her being in it nonetheless.
Coming Soon reports that the former Mrs. Aronofsky is possibly in the running to play the evil witch Evanora in Sam Raimi's prequel to the seminal 1939 fantasy, which already has James Franco locked into its cast as a younger version of the Wizard who comes to the magical land of Oz via hot-air balloon. Mila Kunis is also attached to play Theodora, a good witch that Evanora attempts to bring to her side.
Nothing is yet confirmed and the production has seen its share of actors come and go (from Robert Downey Jr. to Blake Lively), but I think that Weisz is as good a choice as any to play Evanora. However, actresses as busy as she is are the reason that the film has been so hard to cast. With six films in various stages of production, including 360 (which is currently shooting) and Lasse Hallstrom's new drama The Danish Girl (which is likely to shoot this summer), she may not have the time to work on Oz as scheduling is a major issue. It's a tough one to call, but if plans can be moved around a bit I know she'd be a worthwhile addition to the film.
Source: Coming Soon

Returned to direct second installment "Spider-Man 2," again starring Maguire

Executive produced syndicated TV movie "Hercules and the Amazon Women"

Directed Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco in third installment "Spider-Man 3"

Served as executive producer on direct-to-video "Easy Wheels"; also reportedly co-wrote screenplay under a pseudonym

Summary

Though he got his start making two over-the-top cult horror film favorites-"The Evil Dead" (filmed in 1979, but released in 1983) and "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn" (1987)-director Sam Raimi subsequently diversified into TV where he quietly became a major auteur of fantastic entertainment, executive producing the syndicated phenomena "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess" (both debuted in 1995). But it was as the director of three hugely popular and satisfying films starring the famously neurotic comic book superhero "Spider-Man" that Raimi made his biggest mark on Hollywood.

Education

Name

Michigan State University

Wylie E. Groves High School

Notes

On Jan. 12, 2010, Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced that "Spider-Man 4" will not include the original principals Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi. They announced that the franchise will eventually reboot featuring Peter Parker as a teenager.